The Ministry of Interior has stressed on the need of handing over unlicensed weapons before the expiry of the amnesty period which ends on June 22, reports a local daily. Director-General of Public Relations and Security Media Department Brigadier Adel Al- Hashash said the awareness campaigns, plans and actions taken to support the national campaign to collect weapons and applying the law by Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Mohammad Al-Khalid and Undersecretary of the Ministry Lieutenant-General Suleiman Al- Fahd, demonstrate the importance of this campaign to protect the citizens and residents from the dangers of the use of unlicensed weapons.

The campaign came because of the seriousness and random use of weapons indiscriminately and unchecked by the citizens and residents, especially young people which is one of the reasons why the rate of violent crime has shot up.

The law stipulates that anyone possessing unlicensed arms and ammunition can be jailed for five years and fined by up to KD 10,000 or one of the two penalties. It also increases the jail time to ten years and fine of up to KD 50,000 for anyone who buys and sells unlicensed arms and ammunition. The law allows police, after taking proper authorization from the public prosecutor, to search any public location and private or public vehicles if there was cause to believe the existence of unlicensed or unlawful firearms or ammunition. Brigadier Hashash said the Ministry of Interior has dealt with these incidents according to the law within the framework of the tasks entrusted to it to achieve security and protect the community.